Her Glory Incarnate!

Previous Session: The Jaws of a Trap

The Orphans are nervous - these are bigger stakes than they've ever had on the table before. The very fate of their Wicked Mother is in the balance!

They're not entirely sure that they can trust Setarra in this, but they will sneak aboard the Hotspur (again) and capture Captain Dunvil while he is doing his paperwork; suborn the Demon at the heart of the ship and enact an occult ritual to discern any trap that might be waiting for the Wicked Mother when she manifests in Duskwall.

Then they will thwart the ambush She Who Slays in Darkness have arranged with the Guardian of the Gates, and kill them all in an all-out assault. Two worlds will collide tonight, and only one will see the dawn.

Boarding the Hotspur is much easier this time; after all there was nothing so foolishly reckless as boarding a Leviathan Hunter on the high seas. The ship is not even at anchor in the harbour, it's tied up at the wharf, it's taking on supplies after having piped ashore the Leviathan blood to a refinery.

They take their boat across the channel and tie up on the stern - much less prone to discovery that just boarding from the shore. They've been given the ship's schedule by Quess the Spider's friend Avon, who is the Bosun's Mate, and they climb up onto the deck out of sight of the lone sentry. Since this is a stealth mission, Monger the Cutter is staying behind to take care of the boat and act as a tactical reserve (he's the cavalry).

They make their way below, down the main hatch which will lead to the captain's cabin...

As soon as they are on the lower deck, lanterns are opened all around them and a dozen armed sailors (not just sailors, leviathan hunters) are revealed with Captain Dunvil commanding them.
-Think you can singe my beard twice!
Avon stands amongst them, either he's playing along or he's betrayed Quess and the Orphans.

Gap the Lurk pulls out a bomb that Strangford prepared, one with a charge of Standstill poison in it, and declares that they'll be in serious trouble if they don't stand down; a fire aboard a ship is a terrible thing.

Dunvil steps forward, pointing the pistol at Gap's face and pulls the trigger! Gap dodges to one side, taking the round in his shoulder. He runs directly at the captain and kicks him in the chest, vaulting up to the roof beams and then chucking the bomb up to airburst in the middle of the assembled sailors.

The others go for cover, a barrel or mealie bag will protect them a little from the blast - however the bomb just lands heavily on the table and bounces with a clang into a bowl of stew. Did Gap arm it properly?

Fancy Frank the Hound kicks into action, running a guy through with his sword. GhostBlade the Whisper smashes another across the face with her lantern. Fancy Frank is on the back foot, as two more confront him with long knives and pistols and he is sure this isn't the job he signed up to as a tracker and sniper!

GhostBlade yells to Monger through the Darkness that Binds them to get in here, his assistance is required! Monger clambers up from the boat, busting through the gunwale in his heavy gear. Running down the main hatch he sees carnage in front of him.

Gap has thoroughly confused the captain now, spinning around him and the two sailors nearby while using his cloak to great effect - the two sailors shoot each other in the dizzying display and Gap wraps up the captain in his cloak, punching him in the kidney to subdue him. Dunvil hasn't given up the fight though, he stabs back with his reversed sabre and the blade punches through Gap's ribs. Gap struggles through it and koshes Dunvil into submission.

Fancy Frank is now beset by two and even his twin pistols only buy him some addition time. They literally have him over a barrel when GhostBlade slams into the back of one of them. Fancy Frank uses the distraction to kick one away and stab him in the throat, although he does take a knife to the knee and he'll be hobbling for weeks (he'd not be walking again at all except for his fancy knee-high cavalry boots!).

With their captain captured and most of the mates killed, the other half dozen charge for the stairs up to the main deck. Whether or not they saw Monger coming down is in doubt, but they have a fight on their hands - Monger is almost overwhelmed in the rush but decapitates one with his cleaver before being pushes back to the steps; he stabs and elbows and bites his way back to his feet and only two survive - they're later spotted swimming the channel to the safety of the far shore.

**

Confronting the beating demon heart in the bowels of the Hotspur is a little too much for most of the Orphans. They arrive at a metal box on the deck, it's inscribed with runes, sigils and every imaginable piece of Whisper-loved warding inside and out. Inside some of those sigils are throwing light onto a large tripod (like one typically used by augurs). In the bowl is a beating heart, the size of a person's head, purple with sickly yellow lines.

Stepping across the threshold GhostBlade feels the pressure, like she just dived into a stormy sea. Tyraxis' attention whips over to her, but she wades through it like it's nothing.

Monger was going to drag Captain Dunvil inside, but his stoic visage cracks a little and he stays outside. Fancy Frank goes up on deck to act as sentry, glad of the open skies. Gap was never going to go inside that thing.

GhostBlade's ritual is based on an attunement she received from Setarra (while they didn't want to invite her to this, they are relying on her knowledge and skills). It will identify and diffuse the danger which the larger summoning/gate-opening ritual will lay upon the Wicked Mother.

Tendrils from GhostBlade's soul, black-tinged red, erupt from her soul and clasp onto the beating demon heart. Monger throws in one of the surviving sailors and she kills him, slowly and painfully over almost an hour - every ounce of anguish the poor sailor feels feeds the connection, and on the point where his death is imminent, she cuts out and eats his heart.

She knows that from now to eternity, she will not be able to sit comfortably in the presence of a demon; she can already feel her skin itch in its presence. And then she feels another presence touch the skin of the Hotspur...

Fancy Frank sees the impossibly sleek shark demon climb aboard. Its inhuman eyes regard him as he fails to track the intrusion with his rifle. It brushes past him with its gash of a smile and he shudders as the cold goes through to his bones.

Below, Setarra points out to GhostBlade that her ritual is not as successful as she hoped - it won't allow her to change the point the Wicked Mother will appear; and that will allow their enemies to keep their significant advantage.

Setarra makes an offer to GhostBlade
-Serve me, and I will intervene to change the Wicked Mother's path into the city
That's unacceptable to GhostBlade, and as she shakes her head, Monger loosens his shoulders, readying for a confrontation. Setarra doesn't even change stance, but they're sure she notices.
-Or maybe, allow me to remain here and I will guard the captain and Tyraxis from any outside interference before your plan goes ahead. Then I will have what remains on the ship.
GhostBlade doesn't like that either, and her counter-offer of a year and a day of service after they're finished with the summoning meets with instant rejection from Setarra.

She loses patience, and moves to leave with an aggressive snarl. Fancy Frank has been wondering what's going on and is making his way down to them. He's at the top of the stairs when she's climbing up and he reacts badly to her demeanour.
He draws a pistol and aims at her, but her arm snakes out to grab at his foot and use him as a club to beat back Monger (who's lifted his cleaver). But Fancy Frank leaps back, and crawls back into the depths of the store room.

Setarra faces off Monger, who's ready to go to war, but trying to convince her it's not necessary (and that Fancy Frank's behaviour just confirms that he's an asshole). She walks away, but stops by at the corner where Fancy Frank is hiding and palms away his pistol. She leans in close to his face and whispers
-Kristov, I'll be visiting you in your dreams

*

The Orphans have left behind half of their Thugs and Adepts behind to guard the Hotspur and its contents while the rest of events play out - they can't leave their opponents realise that they've stolen a march on them.

The location that the Guardian of the Gates has chose for the Wicked Mother to appear is the Ankhayat Park near the Silkshore - actually their Sanctuary is just across the canal from it. Waiting for the jaws of the trap to close around the Wicked Mother is a large party - they've organised for the various community leaders of Charhollow to be there for a celebration in the park - it's the Feast of St. Natira. Posters and (limited) free food and drink have guaranteed that about a hundred people have attended.

In the centre of the park is a large gazebo, it is there where she will be summoned.

Across the city, near the Strangford Estate, the cult of She Who Slays in Darkness has a large tower block, at least half of which is given over to their activities. That morning, Fancy Frank and Gap snuck in to plant a large firebomb. It's set to go off at any moment now, and hopefully it'll forestall any reinforcements and prove a significant distraction.

The Wicked Mother appears in the centre of the gazebo, but it's obvious that she cannot pass the barrier. At that moment, a dark figure emerges from the shadows: She Who Slays in Darkness has come...

GhostBlade hurriedly enacts the ritual that she has prepared, knowing the nature of the trap they have the Wicked Mother helplessly caught in; but she needs help to do so quickly enough. Gap steps to the fore, already haunted by this upcoming Apocalypse, the Lurk stabs out his eye with his knife and grabs a smouldering coal from the grills to cauterize the wound. The effort proves to be just the agony and sacrifice the Whisper needs to fuel the ritual!

Elsewhere throughout the crowd a dozen of so acolytes of the rival cult unveil themselves and attack. Monger is waiting for them, with the remaining handful of their thugs and the fight is quick and brutal. Fancy Frank joins in, shooting as many as he can in the back before numbers start to tell. Their explosion across the city goes off, and gives them a chance to scramble into a defensive position.

However, She Who Slays in Darkness is now confronting the Wicked Mother. A flurry of slashes leaves their patron reeling, and then the coup de grace; a blade plunged into her heart - but as it goes through her heart, the blade melts! Gap has opened his soul to her, and she is feeding on his life-energy.

Monger leads the counter charge, scrambling to get through the crowd to protect the Wicked Mother; but there's no way he'll get there in time.

Fancy Frank draws a bead on She Who Slays in Darkness with his finest pistol, loaded with electroplasmic ammunition and focuses; and shoots. The round pierces the skull and the god falls to the ground. Purple energy floods from the wound, first evaporating like a mist, but then coalescing as the Wicked Mother descends upon her and consumes her rival.

FIN

The Last Fare

Previous Session: Keep your Friends Close

The Noose are joined by an ally of theirs from the war.

Sethla "Stone" Dalmore (a Hound) is a mercenary from the Dagger Isles who fought on the Skovlan side during the Unity War. She's an experience Deathlands Scavenger, where her experience from the Dagger Isles - lands where there are no lightning barriers, was of great use. On her throat is a tattoo from her rite-of-passage there - it is imbued with power and acts as a spiritbane charm.
Her trained hunting pet is "Ghost", a grey fox - it's from the Deathlands, and its colour is a washed-out grey, like a negative.
The woman has a pale, freckled face., with dark, empty eyes and tied-back, dark hair.
Her vice is hard drinking (usually topped up from a hip flask she keeps with her) with a side of whatever other pleasure is going at the establishment she finds.
She is a Survivor, from hard won experience she is immune to the poisonous miasma of the deathlands and is able to subsist on the strange flora and fauna there.

Near the end of the war, Veleris, who fought on their side revealed himself as a spy for the Empire. She was betrayed and almost died. The thirst for vengeance is what brough her to Duskwall, when she heard that Veleris had resurfaced as part of the Wraiths.

Melvir (a physicker) rescued Stone's body from her grave and helped her recover. It's really a miracle that she's still alive today. It's likely that Veleris thinks she's dead...

They bring Mags back to the Skovlan neighbourhood where Shiv lives in Charhollow. They meet her at the door into the mean and overcrowded tenement building, and her tired face lights up with relief and joy. She calls out for a friend who's a doctor and Mags is brought into a room to have her wound tended to.

Shiv brings them upstairs to her room and puts the kettle on for a cup of tea. Wicker the Whisper carefully examines the room for signs of how attached Shiv is to their shared Skovlan culture. There are no signs of wealth here, everything indicates that life in these tenements continues at subsistence level.
The kettle is of Skovlan design, but obviously has been made locally (whether by an Akorosi crafter who knew the design, or dictated to by someone familiar),  there's some unfinished knitting in a chair by the window (local wool, but Skovlan patterns) which will be handy for keeping out the cold and damp of the Duskwall nights. The handles on the sideboard don't match the actual furniture; it's an cheap knock-off of an Iruvian design, but the brass handles are all from a set with traditional Lockport interlacing.

Stone notices a shotgun in the corner by the fireplace - it's a well-used and maintained piece, probably something that was used in anger during the Unity War.

Crow the Slide has a bag of bread that he got from the bakery before coming over, and they share it with their tea. Stone adds in a drop of whiskey.
-Your name carries a lot of weight in the community; how do you intend to use it?
Her gaze narrows; she understands the subtext of the question
-Our people here would be starving and freezing to death if we didn't work to make their lives better.
Crow's fanaticism comes through a little
-Surviving isn't enough, we need our pride
-Pride is no use when you've no wood in the stove.

They ask her what she thinks of the Consulate's role in her work, and she admits that she had thought that they were helping, by arranging work details and visas for refugees to come across the river into the city proper. But now, after what Lomond did to Mags she isn't so sure.
Lomond came and took Mags last night, with armed warriors who brooked no resistance. She tells them that her  brother died in prison under his command.
Crow wonders what she intends to do about it, and she leans forward, reaching under the table to tap what must be a long knife strapped there - the distinctive metal sound is so familiar to them all - that's one Skovlan tradition which dies hard.
-I'm going to find that little weasel Lomond and gut him
Crows counsels her against such a rash course of action, and assured her that they'll take care of him and give her a front row seat when justice is served.

Shiv, a leader of the Skovlan Refugees

Wicker wonders what she did back in the old country and if Crow's question was subtle about what her credentials are, this is anything but. She grins as if she knows that her answer will surprise them.
-I bought and sold goats. I was the best goddamned auctioneer in the Blackvale.
Wicker is taken aback, and asks what the most unusual or famous thing she auctioned off was?
She turns to look out the window, and proffers her cup to Stone to give her a wee dram of the good stuff. Stone fills her up, and she takes a long sip.
She tells of a night when a small company of Skannon's army arrived at her sheds. They had a captured Imperial officer with them, and after they had gotten all of the intelligence out of him, there was a disagreement over what to do with him.
She auctioned off the rights to him, mostly to cut his bollocks off right there on the table he was lying on. She got the price up to 3 shillings and 2 pence. Impressive total really, but suppose soldiers don't usually have much to spend their coin on.

In the midst of the story, Crow takes out a fine bottle of whiskey he's been saving for a special occasion - guess they're in for a long night of it. It comes out naturally, but they realise that she's Ulf Ironborn's sister - they're not sure if that's trouble or opportunity, as the up and coming violent criminal is definitely wreaking some havoc in Coalridge.

They go back to the original topic, and ask why Lomond thought she knew where Skannon is? She downs the rest of her drink and replies, calm as you like
-Cause I know.
Crow pushes to find out where he is, but she scowls and asks them why she should trust them with that information. They're a little insulted - didn't they just establish good credentials by saving Mags? But she's keeping her hand close to her chest and Crow just asks her to pass along a message from him since he worked with Skannon before.

In the morning, Mags is up and around again, and Wicker tries to gain some insight into their relationship by asking Shiv how they met. Shiv and Mags engage in a bit of good-natured (and obviously well-worn banter) where Shiv insists that Mags is the romantic and should tell the story (because Shiv always gets it wrong!).
Well, in comes this goat-herd with the mangiest buck she ever laid eyes on. Asking a ridiculous price; not fit for stew, a rough blanket, or even making glue out of his hooves. The only thing worth a damn was the fine set of horns (funny you should mention that!) - but she says that he'll sire the finest herd of goats anyone on the whole island has ever seen.
So, what the hell, she was cute (damn right!) so she paid half a crown for him; and that was that.

***

Stone the Hound is keen to target the Wraiths, but despite her desire to keep away from a Spirit Well she accepts a quid pro quo from the Noose - they'll help her fulfil her path to vengeance once they've prevented the Gondoliers from closing the Spirit Well on behalf of the Reconciler.

The Spirit Well is located in an underground canal near the Strangford estate in Charhollow. They have the maps and keys to get to it without attracting any attention, and Wicker the Whisper heads down there to attune to the ghost field and find out what kind of activity is going on there that might have attracted the attention of the Gondoliers.

He spreads out his lightning hook, stretching out the wire so that it forms a tripwire around the Spirit Well, and dons his spirit mask - it's made of leather and wood, in a flexible fashion with two sides - the outside is used when looking into the living world, the inside is meant for just the spirit world. It's a weird design by Akorosi standards, but all Skovlanders would recognise it instantly.

It's obviously not a very busy conduit into the spirit world outside the lightning barriers, but after a couple of hours something starts to come through. Wicker is aware of it before it comes through and rather than entrap it, he allows it to clamber unsteadily through the well before he makes his presence known. That process is like a birthing - the viscous spirit stuff sloughs off the body in an odd fashion. It looks human, but with a suit and mask which obscures its features. Perhaps recognising that Wicker is not posing an immediate threat, it raises the mask to the top of her head. It's a Akorosi woman, and when they introduce themselves, she gives her name as Moriya. (Flint can vouch for her, they're known to each other, at least due to professional courtesy).

First off, Wicker wonders what she was doing out there. She gestures to the heavy bandoleer across her body. She explains that she has brought back the ghosts of some lost sailors, along with a slew of demon eggs. She knows the family of one of the sailors and is sure that they'll put her in contact with the others if they came from the same ship. There are always buyers for demon spawn, usually to power rituals or potions.

He presses her on what kind of unusual activity she's seen her lately, and she's nervous, as if she fears that someone might target her because of what she could say. She describes how the Circle of Flame brings targets of their extortion here and pushes them into the Spirit Well; unprepared and untrained as they must be, when they are brought back they are prepared to do anything for the Circle to ensure that they are never exposed in that way again. She's see a household servant and a Bluecoat getting that treatment, but isn't sure of any other details.

The Noose aren't quite sure what they think of this - as horrible as it sounds, harm coming to noble houses or other aspects of the Imperial fist doesn't bother them too much.

Stone relates to Wicker how they close Spirit Wells in the Dagger Isles, though she can barely remember all the details from her childhood. It takes a major ritual effort from multiple whispers over a short period of time (no more than a couple of hours) - so that will surely make it easier for them to hamper the Gondoliers' effort to close it.

Crow the Slide takes out their gondola to gather intelligence on their target organisation. He rows up to a kiosk in Silkshore and saunters inside to grab a cup of coffee and a biscuit. He brought Nyryx with him (she's a friend and a frequent customer of the gondoliers here so she helps establish his cover).

Over a lunch break, he discovers that Griggs is the name of the Gondoliers' chief whisper, and he has three assistants. He was last seen at the kiosk in between Charterhall and Crow's Foot, but in any case he'll be at the weekly meeting tomorrow night. (The Noose didn't even know the Gondoliers had a regular meeting!)

**

After the Gondoliers meeting, Crow rows his gondola up to the hall where most of them have already departed. At this stage, it's mostly the senior gondoliers who still remain behind. They're going to fool Griggs into getting aboard their gondola instead of his usual ride (Goldie, who's currently busy with Nyryx).

Griggs is standing at the back door speaking to a few people, and Crow has mistimed his approach - two other gondoliers who he doesn't recognise jump into his boat. He protests that he's waiting for Griggs, but they point back at him and say that he can get the next boat
-you know the rank rules, first customer, first boat
But the Slide sticks to his guns and tells them it's a prearranged fare with Griggs.
They jump back out, cursing him light-heartedly and wait for the next gondola to pull up. But as they sit into their gondola Crow hears them wonder if the boat is Ball's - the one that went missing a while back...

Griggs, chief whisper of the Gondoliers

Griggs gets in, and he's much younger than expected. After Crow pushes off, the gondolier notices that it's not Goldie and wonders why. Crow tells him that Goldie was delayed and will be waiting for them, but he's not so adept a gondolier as to keep a complicated conversation going whilst rowing through the canals, and this raises Griggs' suspicions. Asked why he doesn't recognise Crow, the Slide tells him that he only joined a couple of weeks ago, and has been learning the ropes with Goldie.


Wicker the Whisper notices that Crow's under pressure and if his cover is blown now, the whole operation will fall apart. Wicker compels a ghost to rise out of the canal in an attempt to distract Griggs (or better yet, to consume him right there and then!)
A long-dead and troublesome ghost 'Vond' rises up out of the waters - it's unusual that a ghost would be active on canals this well-travelled by the Gondoliers, but Vond was a gondolier himself in life, and has long been a thorn in Griggs' side. A ghostly oar breaks the waters first and Crow is taken aback with the skeletal hand grabs onto the side of his boat. Since the boat hasn't been an official gondola for a while, the warding has lapsed and doesn't have its usual protections.

Vond is obviously coming for Griggs and the whisper jumps to his feet very quickly. He draws his lightning hook out from his coat and brings it to bear on the advancing ghost. His hook is a bone whip, and as it unfurls to show the fine wire connecting the bony vertebrae - it cuts through the ghosts hand and Crow nearly drops his oar in fright as it comes within inches of his head.
The next swipe of the hook cuts the ghost in two, from shoulder to hip and the electroplasm dissipates over the sides of the boat as the controlling spirit is destroyed. Griggs is standing in the middle of the gondola triumphantly.


In a high tower overlooking them at the end of the canal, Stone the Hound is set up. Her long rifle's sight has Griggs in its crosshairs. She has a custom electroplasmic round in the chamber - best destroy the whisper's ghost as well. Crow knows where to look and see the glint of the sight behind Griggs' shoulder and drops to the deck. Whether it's his sudden movement, or some other instinct that causes Griggs to shift his stance, the round misses and hits the water behind the gondola soundlessly.

By the time Stone has fished out another electroplasmic round to reload, the gondola has rounded a corner and is out of sight. On the upside, Griggs has dropped his interrogational tone of Crow and has turned his back to side down and he's scribbling away in a notebook.


Stone picks up her rifle and runs as quick as she can. The original sniper's perch she'd identified is still open and with a bit of rooftop running she can make it in time to take the shot. Crow rows slowly down the long canal heading into Six Towers. Stone stumbles descending the last rooftop, twisting her ankle, but she lays down on the kerb of the roof and steadies her breathing. She has an view of his chest, coat opened from when the lightning hook was drawn and she calmly squeezes the trigger.
The round goes straight through his forehead, killing him instantly. The electroplasmic charge stays inside, and his ghost is drawn up into his skull and implodes in a spiritually devastating attack. We'll never see his ghost again.

*

They dump his weighed down body (the weights and chains were hidden under the tarpaulin forward in the gondola; after having filched all his whisper ritualist equipment (they can be sold on for some profit via Flint.

The Jaws of a Trap

Previous Session: The Hotspur

Troubled by the ominous portents of their mission aboard the Hotspur and what it could mean for the city of Duskwall, the Orphans go out to some of their contacts and friends to learn more about the Guardians of the Gates, the true impact of the ritual they performed and why Captain Dunvil might have been chosen.

Quess the Spider visits Lord Scurlock, who is a particular friend of GhostBlade, but whom she has a good relationship with because of her intercession on behalf of his 'nephew' Oskar in Ironhook Prison.

GhostBlade the Whisper summons Setarra, a demon whom she hasn't met in years. The last time they spoke, it was in cooperating against a nasty vampire they both wanted rid of.

Monger the Cutter whips the Cult's adepts into shape, giving Strangford and the rest the task of researching the particulars of the Guardians of the Gates and the ritual.

Art by Joon Ahn

Quess enters Lord Scurlock's manor house in Six Towers, the rickety old building should probably have been torn down ages ago, but even so it's a curious mix of derelict and luxury. Shown into a drawing room, Scurlock's dreadful countenance is clear in the firelight, his cadaverous face is both deathly pale and pulsing with life (he's drinking...wine).

Hearing about their recent escapades on The Hotspur, Scurlock is thoughful and shares some suspicions openly enough. He divulges that the ship's plasma coils protect the ghosts of the crew (and any spirits inside the ship) from the effects of the city's own lightning barriers. A terrible secret only those directly involved know about is that at the centre of each leviathan hunter is a demon heart, and through some occult ritual is tied up with the captain's ghost.

He wonders if the Guardians of the Gate concocted the scheme to allow something to enter the city from beyond, another demon perhaps...
Or is it just a scrying by a demon or god?
Scurlock is unsure, but deeply troubled as to what havoc some new demonic player could wreak in the city

***

GhostBlade awaits Setarra in their sanctuary on the riverside (which they took from the Hand of Sorrow). She emerges from the waters, all sleek black and smooth. Quess is sure her form is the same as the deep sea gods her people worship back in Tycheros.

Setarra's spines flare as she descends the staircase into the sanctuary proper, the heavy smell of incense and the dull light from the braziers doesn't bother her as she regards her old friend. She doesn't really have any thoughts on what else could be entering the city, but instantly leaps on the prospect of the Hotspur. If she could meet with the captain to devour him she would give them aid in reaching the heart of the ship - having a demon's heart would give them immense power to use in the service of the Wicked Mother.

**

Monger is briefed by Strangford, and the leader of their adepts is worried. The ritual they recently enacted to bring Her Glory Incarnate was successful, but examining the symbol they created to act as a focus, and comparing it to the one they received from the Guardians of the Gates, they found an overlap. Now he thinks that one key aspect to their ritual was the symbol they carved into Captain Dunvil.

Perhaps there is a connection between their ritual and the Dunvil symbol which allowed the door into the city to be opened from the outside. Perhaps the entity which the Guardians were 'summoning' was the Wicked Mother herself!

The truly worrying aspect is that he suspects that the Guardians may be in concert with She Who Slays in the Darkness who may have only recently discovered the Orphans' involvement in the ruse to usurp their Offertory. This all may be a trap to bring the Wicked Mother where they can destroy her physical form.

*

Back in their lair, the Orphans discuss the various pieces of knowledge they've gathered.
They discuss the nature of the leviathan hunters - some of their scrolls show forbidden sketches of how the demon hearts are stored and the connection between the vessels' whisper and captain who are able to contain and use the demon's power to hunt Leviathans and keep them safe on the starlit oceans. The exact repercussions of the death of a captain on the bound demon is unknown - but it can't be good...

They debate through the night - should they go with Setarra's suggestion, or use the Wicked Mother's appearance as a chance to wipe out the cults of She Who Slays in the Darkness and the Guardians of the Gates. They are loathe to underestimate this existential threat to their god...

Next Session: Her Glory Incarnate!

Keep your Friends Close

Previous Session: The Noose

The Noose target the Skovlan Consulate - they want to find out what plans and schemes the Consul and her staff are up to. They're going to infiltrate the house with a disguise and deceive the guards to giving them the run of the place so they can fact find.

Tick-Tock the Leech prowls the neighbourhood, checking out the perimeter security and the ways in and out. He notices that the two guards out front pulls four hour shifts. They linger in between the door and the front gate. They are casual enough with visitors (so long as the weapons aren't too obvious) and just have a brief chat before showing them inside. About halfway through their shift they get cups of tea delivered to them from inside.
Out back there's a cobbled yard with a strong gate that opens onto an alleyway. A guard shows up there every so often, but usually just when the gate is in use, or when they're expecting a delivery.
There is a skylight in the rooftop, which could be used in an emergency - it'd be easy enough to use to get into either house next door (a solicitors on one side and a private residence on the other).

Crow the Slide meets with Adelaide Phraoig, their friend in the Consulate, who can give them some pointers for what files they should be looking for. They meet up in Slane's fishmonger, and sit down to a supper of smoked fish. He's struck by her sense of nostalgia at the smell and feel of the place, she relates how the smokey flavour reminds her of her home back in Blackvale.
Crow's so enraptured by this new side of the usually reserved Adelaide that he misses a member of the Wraiths at the counter behind them - he's picking up a packet of smoked kippers, but notices Crow and smiles to himself - they have a way of getting to the Noose now...
She tells him of his old mentor, Skannon, the most famous of Skovlan commanders during the war. Brynna Skyrkallan, the Consul, is seeking him out - and Shiv, one of the local leaders of the refugee community is said to have knowledge of his whereabouts.

Skannon was taken prisoner by the Imperial army late on in the war, right before the assassination of Queen Alayne  and collapse of Skovlan resistance. Many believe that he died as a prisoner of war, or still rots in some Imperial prison, but Crow knows that he is free - in fact freeing Skannon was the Noose's first job together.
Adelaide doesn't know what Skyrkallan wants with the heroic commander. She fears that this is a prelude to handing him over to the Empire, but doesn't really know the Consul's mind on this issue.
She give Crow a good idea of who they could disguise themselves as to infiltrate the Consulate - one of the Unseen, the captain of a Leviathan Hunter only known as the Chariot is seen frequently there meeting with the Consul, sometimes without an appointment. She reckons that the Consul has other business in a few days time, so they could use that opportunity to sneak in. Anyone who doesn't know the Chariot well would mistaken Crow for him.

Crow is dressed in a worn naval uniform, with a cane, tricorn, jeweled ring and pocket watch to round out the ensemble. He strikes people as an experienced, if dapper, captain. Wicker the Whisper is with him, his regular clothes with a few additions paint the picture of a down-to-earth if flustered assistant. Tick-Tock circles the neighbourhood, scouting for unforeseen trouble, watching for an opportunity or just to arrive in the nick of time to pull their asses out of the fire.

Crow and Wicker are speaking to the guards, blagging their way in seems to be easy enough - they're casual at best; maybe good in a fight, but not great at the vetting part of their job. One indicates that they should just sign in with the clerk who's inside.
A professional-looking woman comes out with a couple of mugs of hot tea for them - it's definitely earlier than they expected - it would seem that she's got a lot on her plate, with the Consul's busy schedule and thought they wouldn't mind their tea a bit early today. She does glance at Crow, and he reckons that she knows something's not right, but can't quite put her finger on it.

As they step inside, one of the two guards, an older guy, follows them inside. Apparently he likes his tea with a bit of honey so he's heading up to the kitchen to sweeten it to his taste. He's heading in the same direction, and as they hesitate at the bottom of the stairs he points in towards the front room, where Jor, a clerk is sitting behind a desk. The young man, is rifling through correspondence, obviously very busy, but gives them his (divided) attention. He can't find any details of their appointment, but knows the Consul is always ready to meet with the Chariot, and assures them that he'll let her know that they've arrived. (They're pretty sure that he'll forget and remember in about half an hour).


Out back, Tick-Tock spots a wagon approach the back gates of the consulate. He slithers underneath it as it slows to a stop. Grabbing the underside of it just as the gates are opened and it trundles inside. It halts just inside the gate, and Tick-Tock realises something just in time. It's one of the new prison wagons, as the cage inside is unlocked, the metal latches he's holding onto are released...but he's already secured them in place and instead of dropping to the hard cobbles, he just bides his time.

Tick-Tock recently did some work for Ironhook to redesign the security of their prisoner transports, so he recognised the mechanism as soon as he rolled underneath. He watches as a lone prisoner is hauled out of the wagon by two guards. The woman's bare feet aren't bloody or particularly dirty, so it would seem that she's been deprived of her shoes only recently.

**

Up one flight of stairs, Crow and Wicker allow the guard to go ahead into the kitchen as they stop on the landing; the adjoining records and waiting rooms are where their attention is for now. Wicker begins to reach out to attune to any ghost who might be lurking in the archives; but then they hear some noises from inside the room.

Crow remembers how he knows the woman who brought tea to the guards outside now. That's Emeline, sister to their friend who runs the bakery which conceals their lair. She's an assistant to the Consul, and from conversations he's overheard she's conscientious and a little conflicted about the consulate's mission - she knows it will improve the life of her compatriots, but at what cost to their freedom and identity. 

Emeline Tyrconnel, assistant to the Consul

She steps out, holding a dossier of files. Crow and Wicker cover their awkward placement just outside the door by acting up their self-importance and befuddlement respectively. This eases Emeline's suspicion and she directs them to the waiting room across the hall. She also mentions that while the Chariot didn't have an appointment for today, she'll make sure the Consul is free to see them very shortly.

Wicker's desperate incompetence is clear to her, and she finds this kind of thing infuriating - that masks Crow's quick-witted blocking of the lock so that as soon as she climbs the stairs to the Consul's office, they can creep inside the records room. Crow stays outside to keep watch, and Wicker searches for the records that'll bring them up to speed on the whereabouts of Skannon. The filing system is really well organised, and files appear to be cross-referenced and duplicated - it'll make the right dossier easy to find, but unfortunately, Emeline will be aware that something's missing very quickly.


Outside, Tick-Tock rolls out from under the wagon, following the two guards and their prisoner approach the back of the house. He's spotted by the driver though, and Tick-Tock just points at the bomb he left underneath it and tells the driver that he should check it out. That does stop the driver from yelling out to get the guards' attention, but unfortunately Tick-Tock's timer is off and the bomb explodes at that instant!

He hears the whine of the timer a moment before it triggers and turns and runs towards the house - he's catapulted forward by the blast, but regains his feet easily. The two guards aren't so lucky though; one smashes his nose against a step, and the other is blinded by the blast when she turns around.


Inside the records room, Wicker is getting the right dossier out of a cabinet by the window which overlooks the yard; he spots Tick-Tock running and steps aside just as the blast wave hits the window and showers the room with shard of glass.

Outside the records room, Crow is speaking to the guard supping his cup of tea. Crow made a casual throw away comment as he passed to go downstairs, and instead of nodding and replying (like usually happens) the guard took this as an invitation to get into an in-depth discussion on the dog racing (which Crow likes, but obviously not as much as this guy!)

The guard drops his cup and runs to the kitchen - there's a window there that'll give him a good view of what's going on out back. Wicker slips out of the room and he and Crow walk back out the front door - the obvious chaos is a good excuse to leave without any questions. They exchange a quick update; Wicker took another dossier which may prove profitable or generally useful to the Noose. Crow pats his coat - he cut out a fine painting which was hanging in the waiting room!


Tick-Tock grabs the prisoner and leads her to the back gate. The guard who opened it for the wagon is leaning against it, still groggy and yet to recover from the blast. The wagon is in bits; only the iron superstructure appears to have survived, and the cage was catapulted into next door's yard.

Tick-Tock shoots out the lock of the gate at a run, and that appears to have been the only thing holding the gate upright. It collapses and they leap over it. The guard comes to his senses and takes aim with a brace of pistols as they escape down the laneway. His first shot hits the prisoner's leg and the second shatters Tick-Tock's elbow. Nevertheless they disappear into a side street and back to the lair.

*

The prisoner, now recovering from her wound, is named Mags, and she is married to Shiv, a community organiser amongst the refugees - it appears that Lomond was bringing her in to apply pressure in order to find out the whereabouts of Skannon.

Wicker goes out with Flint to celebrate their victory, picking out a new set of cufflinks to go with his outfit. However he's a little over exuberant in describing the operation and someone in a changing room overhears - while the Noose were under a lot of heat due to the explosion and death of the drive, now the Bluecoats have their eye on the crew.

Tick-Tock picks up a few trinkets with Eckerd (a blood dealer), who finds a marvellous mechanical leech which might be useful in future. Otherwise he concentrates on healing his elbow with the help of some fantastic ointments supplied by Stazia (his apothecary friend).

At their lair, they learn more from the dossier - it would appear that Lomond, chief adviser to the Consul and veteran of the war could be the main enemy of Skannon at the consulate. While the Consul herself views Skannon as a lynchpin in attempting to align the refugees with her cause, Lomond liaises with the Governor General and is aware of the plaudits that would come with the capture of such an infamous enemy leader.

Crow starts researching Lomond, if he's the quisling inside the consulate then they must tackle him first. He was the commander of a garrison captured early in the war, and at the time was a fierce rival of Skannon's. In his view it was only chance which led to Skannon gaining fame in the defence of their country and not him. It's rumoured that Lomond goes missing every so often, but no one knows what he gets up to.

Next Session: The Last Fare

The Noose

The Noose are a crew of Shadows operating out of the back of a bakery in Charhollow. They specialise in espionage in support of Skovlan refugees in Duskwall. Their reputation is that of Fanatics, who will sacrifice for the cause, and who think that the end justifies the means. They hold to Skovlan traditions as well, like many of their fellow refugees.

The Noose is a dark name for the crew, but one with mundane origins to Skovlanders - it refers to a traditional knotted bread which is well-loved by the Skovlan people - its shape (especially when a batch has just been taken out of the oven) is reminiscent of a hangman's noose.

The close press of refugees in the tenements of Charhollow and in the tents and lean-tos of Dunslough make them particularly Slippery, it's difficult for someone not part of the clannish Skovlan society to track anyone down.


Their hunting grounds are located in Charterhall, specifically in the few square blocks where the consulates are located. Their contacts with the Skovlan Consulate (through their friend Adelaide Phroaig) helped them establish themselves there; but the Noose view many of those who work with the Consul as traitors and quislings whose collaboration with the Empire needs to be punished.

They have access to underground maps and passkeys, which allow them easy passage through the
underground canals, tunnels, and basements of the city. The Cyphers set them up with these, but what the messenger guild of the city gain from this arrangement, the Noose aren't so sure...

They stole a boat from the Gondoliers, but to placate that powerful and popular group in Duskwall, they paid them off.

The Noose's closest friend is Amancio, a deal broker who is renowned for his neutrality. Amancio is sympathetic to their cause and he backed up his commitment to them when he sent a job their way instead of to the Wraiths.

The Wraiths took this switch personally and have it in for both of them. Their mercenary ways contrast with the Noose's idealistic bent.

The Dimmer Sisters have a soft spot for Amancio, having trusted him since his childhood. He's one of the few people who enter and leave their manor house; they wonder what he had to do to gain the Dimmer Sisters' trust.

Aldric "Crow" Walund (a Slide) fought for Skovlan in the so-called 'Unity War'. While he grew up in a simple fishing village, he found a role as a messenger during the war; later rising to become an aide in service of the famous Skovlan leader, Skannon.
The bony man dresses in knickerbockers and suspenders, a Skovlan style that's popular in Duskwall as well.
His vice is the pleasure of traditional smoked fish he picks up at Slane's fishmongers & restaurant.
His specialty is in Cloak & Dagger, and back in the war his ability to slip through enemy lines was renowned.

Crow used to lose himself in drugs when he first came over to Duskwall after the war, and his friend Bryl (a drug dealer) gave him his fix regularly. Since then, he's clean, and despises what Bryl allowed him to become. He has a hatred for drug dealers and how they help keep the Skovlan people lost in stupor.

Klyra (a tavern owner) gave Crow a fair shot when he got off the boat from Lockport and was looking for a job. Her place 'The Elephant & The Castle' is located near the consulates in Charterhall, and Crow looks a bit out of place there, but as ex-staff the Slide can grab a drink or two on the QT. The place is popular with Iruvians who like the old-school ornamental wooden walls and the antique Iruvian gaming sets from which the tavern gets its name.

*

Phin "Wicker" Skelkallan (a Whisper) came over to Duskwall with the recent flood of refugees following the end of the war. He used to have a position as a Snare, the Skovlan equivalent of the Spirit Wardens, who protected people from vengeful ghosts.
The plump man wears a waxed coat and tall boots.
His vice is the luxury of custom-made accessories from Dunridge & Sons, the famous tailors of Nightmarket. He indulges in unnecessary items which don't take away from his Skovlan style (such as handkerchiefs and cufflinks) but has one of their lovely bags as well which he lugs around his whispering gear in.
His specialty is in Compelling ghosts to his will.

Wicker's erstwhile friend is Quellyn (a witch) who is in fact one of the Dimmer Sisters. The first time the Noose made contact with Amancio, Quellyn was very suspicious of them and thinks very little of Wicker in particular; she is dubious of the tension between what Amancio says of them and Wicker's fetish for luxury.

For the most part, Wicker finds spirit trafficking heinous, but Flint is different. So long as he doesn't deal with the ghosts of Skovlanders, Wicker finds him useful to have around. It goes deeper than that however; when Wicker arrived in Duskwall and attempted to control a particularly murderous ghost, he was outmatched and Flint's entirely selfless intervention saved the Whisper.

*

Grine "Tick-Tock" Rowan (a Leech) is a Tycherosi, who until recently was a professor of Sparkwright in the Doskvol Academy. His eccentricity (usually not something frowned upon by academics) got him into trouble with his fellows at the Academy, and he's no longer welcome in those hallowed halls.
He's a handsome man, who usually wears a long coat and tricorn hat.
His vice is the acquisition of weird and interesting trinkets from Ojak in the Silkshore rooftop markets.
His specialty is as an Artificer, his particular claim to fame inside the academy was his design of a timer that can be attached to bombs and such devices. Currently he has a large bomb which has such a timer, making it less than suicidal to set it off and less prone than a corded fuse to environmental affects.

Most recently, he was called in to do some emergency repairs for the Cyphers - they use a phonograph to record voice messages for some of their clients, and only he had the particular skills to fix it.

Stazia (an apothecary) is a close friend who still works at the Academy. He sometimes goes to her to acquire alchemicals, but mostly they just meet up for lunch to catch up on departmental gossip. She kept her head down when he got into trouble and has remained untainted by the scandal.

In his undergraduate years, he was friend with Malia; they debated all kinds of sophomoric nonsense back then, but since she's become a priestess of the Church of the Ecstasy of the Flesh and because of his continued suggestions that spirits weren't all bad their friendship decayed into general animosity.

Next Session: Keep your Friend Close

The Hotspur

Previous Session: Daggers in the Streets

The Orphans have 'acquired' a steam launch using Grace's contacts on the docks. They're going to pull up alongside the Leviathan Hunter 'Hotspur' as it approaches Duskwall and subdue Captain Milos Dunvil to inscribe the eldritch sign the Guardian of the Gates have provided them with.

Quess the Spider knows one of the crew aboard - the Bosun's mate Avon went overboard last year and Quess took care of his family for a while; however, miraculously Avon came ashore alive and well and he definitely feels like he owes Quess. She knows from talking to him that the Hotspur and Captain have been a little unlucky the last few voyages, not finding many Leviathans to hunt and harvest from.

The launch is big enough to bring their Thugs, just in case they need to switch from an infiltration to full-on assault - the dozen well-armed ruffians should be enough to intimidate and/or overwhelm the thirty-strong crew.

Fancy Frank the Hound talked to Steiner (his assassin friend) about the best ways to approach and board a Leviathan Hunter, so he's got a few ideas already. The launch pulls up aft of the lumbering ship, and ties up alongside. The cabin windows aren't big enough to use as entry-points so Fancy Frank and Quess climb aboard, using muffled grappling hooks, their water proof coats and hats will allow them to pass for sailors, at least at a casual inspection.

Art by ömer tunç

Fancy Frank spots a handful of sailors above deck, look-outs for the most part. Including a whisper standing in the bowsprit - reaching out into the sea for signs of any nearby demon-spawn. The Hound is inclined to take them out now, but Quess shakes her head - she's not willing to kill innocent sailors for no good reason.
An eerie forked lightning hits the sea a couple of miles away, lighting up the entire area, and giving Fancy Frank his first good view of the sea - it's ink blackness barely concealing the burning lights of not-stars below.

They sneak below decks and to the Captain's cabin without much trouble. Lurking in a narrow corridor joining the wardroom to the cabin, they can hear noise inside. They knock and are ready to burst in as soon as they hear "enter". But instead the captain's voice assures them
-Jenk? I'll be right out in a minute for the deck inspection.

An old thin man enters the corridor from the other end, distractedly approaching the cabin door where there are coiled and ready to explode. He glances up in surprise as Quess grabs him by the elbow and steers him back towards the wardroom. The Standstill starts to affect Jenk and she stops him from yelling out help in his final moments of control - however she notices a strange reaction, he must be allergic!

She bundles him into a corner, seeing two more sailors in the wardroom, she quickly closes that door. But now Quess starts to feel strange - whatever effect the Standstill had on Jenk is rebounding on her as well and for the first time since she was a child she feels her body slowing down due to the drug. She strains with the effort, but extrudes the corrupt drug out of her system, leaving it coating her pores.

**

Fancy Frank bursts through the door into the cabin and sees the Captain standing there glancing at a fancy pocket watch in the middle of buttoning up his jacket. The rain gear doesn't fool him for a moment and he reaches for a pistol on his bunk. Fancy Frank steps in and kicks him in the nuts.

He ties Dunvil up on the bed, and draws a wicked looking butcher's knife to make the incisions on the captain's chest. He can see some serious signs of damage there - a set of raking scars on the shoulder, way too far apart to be from a hand-held weapon - a star-shaped puncture wound on the lower rib-cage, like from a giant bolt. Fancy Frank is impressed, but starts to study the diagram of the symbol one last time before starting the cutting.

Quess shows up, looking the worse for wear. She sees Fancy Frank take out the vial of black liquid and pour it into the fresh wounds on Dunvil's chest. She's reminded of the Tycherosi Black Rain, a powerful oily substance that's used in occult rituals by the priest of her people. They say it's the bloody tears of creatures who fly above the ink-dark Void Sea. It gives prophetic powers and Quess understands what's going to happen as she sees the liquid spread quickly through the incisions.

It will allow something outside to subvert the defences of the city, and scrye through the lightning barriers, using Milos Dunvil as a focal point.

 There's a knock on the door - those two sailors got suspicious and are wondering if the captain is alright. Fancy Frank's attempt to sound like Dunvil falls flat, and there's a stand-off in the doorway. Fancy Frank shoots one sailor (who was brandishing a boarding pike) and Quess standstills the other.

Quess isn't happy with the death, but the cold stare Fancy Frank gives her brooks no dispute that their lives were in danger. He shepherd her (still a bit groggy) through the corridors and up an unlocked hatch and they escape over the side. The launch pulls into the mist before the alarm is raised aboard the Hotspur. Fancy Frank is happy with the haul - a very upmarket pocket watch for himself and the captain's log will surely fetch a good price with their friends aboard the Spitfire!

*

Ashore, it would appear that Strangford's adepts have kept things going on an even keel for the most part. However, one of their number, Dahlia (their expert researcher - previously a librarian with the Circle of Flame) poked her nose into the Guardian of the Gates, and now they are demanding some kind of reparation. Unwilling to go very far, they confine her to quarters and assign her to clean-up in the sacrificial chambers for the next month.

Fancy Frank, as well as exploring the secret crawl-space in the bath-house Casta frequents, tracks down Captain Dunvil's location once he comes ashore from the Hotspur. They'll be able to keep a close eye on him once things kick into action.

Next Session: Jaws of a Trap

The Fulcrum

I ran a one-shot of Blades in the Dark at the (fantastic) GauntletCon last weekend.
The Fulcrum (a crew of Shadows) break up a betrothal that would join two warring criminal families in a powerful alliance.

A great heist, switching spotlight between the two strands of the score was challenging, but fun!

Daggers in the Streets

Previous Session: Big Fish

The Orphans are casting around for a good target to build their war-chest - they know they'll need to scale up in order to take on their enemies. They hear tell of a shipment of  payroll silver for the Dagger Isles Consulate and resolve to bushwhack it. The monthly delivery of coins and other materiel is transferred from Gaddoc Rail Station to the Consulate by a couple of wagons through Nightmarket and into Charterhall.

Grace, Monger the Cutter's extortionist friend, is very familiar with this transportation hub and points them towards the carter involved. A old Tycherosi (named Vitter) has just two others helping him with the carts, though the Consulate usually puts a handful of guards with them as well. They've got a gondola ready to go, to take the stolen goods away to their lair.

The whole crew are arrayed in ambush positions along the road from Nightmarket when around the corner comes a patrol of Bluecoats. They seem friendly with the convoy and Quess the Spider signals for everyone to withdraw to their fall-back ambush positions.

This secondary ambush site is problematic - the carts go along a narrow pathway along the small canal at the edge of Charterhall. It's closer to the Consulate (so there's the danger of outside interference) and it's a more dangerous route back to their lair.

Their thugs, coming out of nowhere, run behind the convoy and steal something small off the back of the rear cart (unbeknownst to them, they are official Imperial documents) - they scarper across the nearby lock gate and 3 of the 5 guards chase them out of sight.

Quess is on point, and she approaches the convoy from the front; she knows Vitter to see, and opens up a conversation with him, he stops his cart to shake her hand and that's when she standstills him. The others leap into action at this. Fancy Frank the Hound is in the perfect sniping position on top of a building down the canal and kills one of the guards outright, just as she reacts to Quess (who is sure she feels the shot whizzing closely by her ear!).

Monger the Cutter clambers over the cart to take out the second guard, and is shot straight in the chest. He falls to the flatbed of the cart, a couple of his ribs are definitely broken but so glad that he decided to take his heavy armour this morning. He gets back up, with a cruel-looking crowbar and jumps on the guard who's reloading his pistol, horribly skewering the poor guy.

He looks up and sees the three guards who chased their thugs away come back around the corner. Damnation! They didn't keep them engaged for very long!

The guards open fire with their pistols, and Monger uses their fellow guard as a body-shield, diving into the canal to avoid the ensuing carnage! That heavy armour makes him regret the decision as soon as he hits the water...

Fancy Frank has lined up the guards and carefully shoots two of them down, causing the last one to run for his life. Meanwhile Quess has unlooped a whip from the cart she's on and sent it unerringly around Monger's hand, which is the only thing over the water at this stage. She ties her side to the cart and they haul Monger out.

**

Returning to their lair in the abandoned Leviathan slaughter house, the Orphans do not notice the important Imperial documents and regalia that were in the loot. They have bigger concerns when the pool that the Wicked Mother directs them from is disturbed...

A simple map has appeared - pointing out the main square of the Crow's Foot neighbourhood in Duskwall. A time is indicated: just one hour from now.

They gather their equipment and swarm into the square; keeping an eye out for trouble isn't so easy - with the tension between the Red Sashes and Lampblacks reaching straining point. They do spot an old man sitting on a fountain, looking in their general direction as they scan the place.

They invite him to meet them in The Old Rasp, a small pub that neither of the (almost) warring factions control. It's small and they know they can scope the whole place out very quickly while keep multiple exits in view.

Branan is a high priest of those who worship The Guardian of the Gates, a forgotten god. He won't divulge how they gained his attention, and doesn't threaten their connection with the Wicker Mother in any way - they fear how easily it was influenced by the Guardian's power and listen to what the old man wants.

He tells them the the Hotspur, a Leviathan Hunter, under the command of Captain Dunvil will come into port soon. They are to board it before it enters the harbour (within the lightning barriers) and perform a ritual on the captain.

He hands over a rolled piece of parchment, on which a diagram of an occult symbol is carefully drawn. He instructs them to carve that symbol over the captain's chest and then; he takes out a small vial of black liquid; pour this into the carving.

*

Afterwards, they go away to their own business, wondering what machinations they're being drawn into.

Monger attends a grand dinner party, hosted by his father - who is very pleased with the rise in the family fortunes. In his cups, Laudius snr. divulges that Strangford is in serious trouble on the City Council - there's talk that he could be ousted. There's bad blood between the two, going way back to when Laudius was a significant player in high society. Monger puts his thoughts to work on ways to raise his own house on the Council.

Quess is lining up their favourite enemies, the Skovlan Consulate, to take on the Silver Nails. That kind of fight will surely knock the Skovlanders down a peg or two and allow the Orphans to take up the slack.
As a bonus she mentions to Jeren, her friendly Bluecoat archivist, that the Skovlanders' disdain for the Dagger Isles Consul is well known - they will surely benefit from that terrible attack on the Dagger Isles delivery...

Next Session: The Hotspur

Big Fish

Previous Session: Book Deal

With Monger smoothing the burgeoning relationship with the Billhooks, and GhostBlade perfecting a new ritual; it's left to Gap and Fancy Frank to expand the Cult's power and majesty.
They're eyeing up a vice den, operated by the Skovlanders. It's near Kellen's bar and takes up a space in between the rest of their turf. So it makes sense as well as bringing in some much needed cash.

Fancy Frank is familiar with this type of establishment from the war - cheap booze and sex keeps the Skovlanders distracted from their lot in life. He knows just the thing to get the superstitious northerners off their game.

If they can concoct a haunting by the Wicked Mother; chills and blood and maybe a reenactment of Her appearance in the White Horse in which a handful of Billhooks were sacrificed. That would be perfect.

With some spine-tingling artefacts from Moriya, they set up the Skovlan vice den for this horrific experience.

As expected a few days pass, and the place closes for business entirely and then the Skovalanders come looking for them.

A few of them find the Orphans in the Red Lion. Their initial offer that the Orphans take over the running of the place in return for a tithe isn't well received. But then they appear to have second thoughts - if they can get some proof that the Orphans could dispel the effects, then they'll have to have a talk with the leadership to okay the deal.

They grab Strangford and a couple of his adepts and a couple of Quess' thugs and head directly there. The place is abandoned and the Skovlanders stay outside. There are a few things that Strangford has to do, but mostly it's an hour of pre-arranged theatre to fool any onlookers.

They head down the stairs to find the main bar occupied by Skovlanders. There are half a dozen of them. Including Ulf at the row of barrels which serve as the bar - he's sharing a pint with a druid (replete with antlered head dress). The others are at the front and back doors. This doesn't look good.

The guy who spoke to them in the Red Lion - Morgan - tells them to get the hell out and not to come back, and knees Strangford in the gut to show he's serious (Strangford ends up with a broken nose on the way down to the floor). Fancy Frank yells that this is crazy talk and pulls a knife and holds it at Morgan's throat.
The other Skovlanders, front and back have their own weapons out in an instant. The Orphans crew - bunched up at the bottom of the stairs, are like fish in a barrel.

**

With impossible speed, Gap vaults the barrels, landing just behind Ulf and whipping out the two smoke grenades from an upturned bucket where he secreted them previously - he chucks them towards the group of Skovlanders at both doorways and the smoke quickly fills them. They are blinded and although they open fire, it's not very effective.

Fancy Frank stabs Morgan in the throat and then charges towards the front door - he knows he'll be able to barge through the confused Skovlanders milling around in the smoke and distract attention away from the others.

Gap leads the rest of the crew out the door behind the bar. Strangford is being hauled along by two of his adepts. As Gap is making sure everyone gets out, he's sucker punched in the kidneys by Ulf. Gap throws a knife as rolls through the door, shutting it with a sweeping leg behind him. He exits through the front window as all the others go out the back.

As Fancy Frank races towards the door, Skehan, the druid, draws his claymore and cuts across the back of the Hound's legs. Fancy Frank stumbles, but his leather trousers protected him from the worst of the cut and he's out in the fresh air.

However, a dozen yards away are four fully armed Skovlanders, arrayed in a miniature version of a shield wall that Fancy Frank remembers with dread from the war. With only a momentary hesitation he draws his pistol and shoots at the leg of one in the middle, charging the outside flank of the warrior next to his unfortunate target, who collapses in a heap. His blade has little effect on his opponent, but he gets a sharp blow to his elbow in return. As he careens away from the fight, he has to check if his arm is still attached.

Gap comes out of the window and around the corner and sees that Fancy Frank will need help to escape this or he won't survive.

He attracts their attention and when a couple of them move to intercept he leads them on a merry chase, giving Fancy Frank the chance he needs to escape as well.

*

With their plan in tatters, things turn for the worse when an Inspector with a few Bluecoats shows up to arrest someone - Gap's going to Ironhook for a stretch.

Next Session: Daggers in the Streets

Highway Diplomacy

Previous Session: Infernal Framing

Paving the Spider has his ear to the ground - he's trying to identify a high-society party which will give them an opportunity to steal something valuable. From their Ink Rake contacts (gossip columnists are the best!) they hear about a soiree at the Iruvian Consulate; a masquerade ball to welcome a new VIP who is arriving from U'Duasha imminently. There is an associated occult ceremony and the paraphernalia will be valuable.

The new consul must be bringing in personal effects as well as this paraphernalia, so instead of infiltrating the consulate, they hatch a plan to hijack the goods when they arrive from Iruvia. Salia, their friendly information broker can't find any details of a shipment arriving through her stevedore/docker contacts, and their rail research suggests that the consul is bringing personal luggage only.

Digging deeper, they discover that the Leviathan Hunter 'Hotspur' is making a direct delivery of some boxes and crates - using only the crew and not the stevedores who work the docks. They're understandably upset at this attack on their traditional rights and duties, and the leader, a brutally honest Ripley, complains that this is just typical of the Leviathan Hunters. They place themselves above the dockers and other working folk, even though their rates of death in service are no higher - they play the 'dangerous demon-hunting' card to gain privileges they don't deserve.

They will interrupt the wagon with the Ripley's stevedores blocking the street to the consulate, and then hijack it from under their noses. Ripley's people will only bring clubs so as not to prompt a bloodbath which might attract too much attention. The two allied groups will split the bounty.

Locust the Whisper has been working on his ritual: it enchants a person to look like someone else, anybody else - but different for everyone who sees them. It draws on the powerful imagination of children (using baby teeth as the focus) and leaves the target with strange blank and black eyes. In the back of Locust's mind, he fears that this leaves the target open to demonic possession, as those eyes remind him of how Vestine looked when Setarra possessed her

There are six crew members bringing the wagon to the consulate. The wagon is being hauled by two sturdy goats and inside there's an assortment of crates, barrels and boxes. On a narrow street with a long way between junctions, 14 or 15 stevedores step out to block them off. Insults and abuse are hurled from both sides, but the number is just enough to make a fight possible but not likely.

Paving throws a smoke grenade into the wagon from a window above (one he liberated from Hammer's stash). It lands in between the cargo and spews out a torrent of smoke, enveloping the whole thing, along with the couple of crew still aboard.

Shrike the Cutter sneaks out from behind and jumps up on the wagon to drive it away. She kicks the goats into action (something Paving, with his cabbie experience, was able to drill her in) and they start through the shoving mob ahead of her.
The stevedores have pulled the ship's crew slightly away from the path of the wagon and clearing the way for Shrike. A wary Leviathan Hunter jumps aboard as it passes to confront Shrike. Seeing their comrade in trouble, Paving jumps down from his window, landing heavily alongside to fight the sailor. He throws a vial of potion at his face, but the sailor dodges it with relative ease. A cutlass is thrust into him, but Paving's leather armour takes the brunt of the damage. They both fall off in the struggle.

Locust leaps down, landing on the rising sailor and knocking him out just as he goes to skewer Paving for good. The two grab each other, hobbling a little, to jump on the wagon as it reaches the end of the street. The grenade is still aboard though and they're leaving a trail of smoke behind marking their progress clearly.

There's a moment when the assembled Leviathan Hunters weigh up their chances, and instead of fighting or breaking through to follow the wagon, they withdraw to get reinforcements. This gives them all the chance to disperse, and the barge and gondola that the two groups have gathered are useful in moving everyone and the booty away quickly.

**

The wagon contains:

• a couple of barrels of raw Leviathan blood - upon closer examination, it's a peculiar sort, maybe it's the first blood of a harvest
• a crate of personal effects - clothes, books and papers
• a small box of occult paraphernalia - including a statue of the demon Ixis
• a strongbox - full of official documentation, and a bag of small Iruvian gold coins
• a couple of boarding pikes (maybe taken by the sailors just in case)

Going through the loot, they payoff Ripley with the bag of gold (about 3 purses of silver worth), which seems fair - and rewards the two groups interests and abilities. 

One immediate outcome that becomes clear is that Dowler, their explorer friend, leaves their company. Apparently he was relying on the Iruvians for his next expedition, and he cleaves to them. 

*

They approach the consulate to get a payoff - they'll sell back his goods to him for a hefty price. Their rooks - the Dolvestri couple, deliver the offer. However Ludmilla returns after a half hour to relate that the consul has take Argent prisoner, with a demand that they meet immediately in person to arrange an exchange for the items. 

They meet on a train carriage in Gaddoc Station - security will help ensure that weapons and violence are minimised. A 1st class carriage is connected to a cold engine at a secluded platform. Paving and Shrike walk in.

Two professional looking bodyguards are on the door (they're armed with swords) and behind the consul are three Red Sashes, including Mel (who they 'crossed blades' with a while back). The consul sits in a comfortable arm chair, pouring tea for Argent behind him. 

He's a young man, sitting comfortable in expensive (if crumpled) travelling clothes. He is calm and authoritative - everyone else in the carriage heeds his direction carefully. The presence of those very same Red Sashes they encountered when muscling in on Sanaat's covert drop speaks to a really impressive knowledge of their affairs, or is very suspicious. Either way, it's a message to them.

He introduces himself as Avid Anixis and bids them to sit down, if indeed they have his property and wish to return it.

Paving responds politely, bringing out a hanger of clothes to show that they do. He also wonders if Argent can leave, as Anixis clearly meant to hold him only to bring about the face-to-face meeting. The consul nods, and gestures for Argent to leave, there's no dissenting glance from the Red Sashes or his bodyguards and as soon as Argent is out of the carriage, Paving sits down opposite Anixis. 

Paving smiles and tells the consul that he hasn't pawed his way through them - about 8 purses of silver should suffice for the trouble of delivering the goods to him intact. Anixis shakes his head, thinking that a much lower price was what he had in mind.

Paving's smile disappears and he insists that is the only price they'll accept - Anixis' composure doesn't break but his pleasant manner disappears. He nods and Shrike leaves to send the signal to bring the rest. When Paving suggests that they exchange some tales to pass the time, Anixis is cold - his appetite for stories is much diminished when he is not in amiable company. 

He warns Paving that there will be horribly painful deaths, or ever horribly painful lives, if any of his property is missing or if they cross him in future. Paving has heard it all before, and grins; thinking of an unoccupied shallow grave under the cobblestones that awaits this consul. 

Infernal Framing

Previous Session: Dead Drop

Word reaches the crew that there is a demon-corrupted Spirit Warden in the city; and that an Inspector is see. Locust the Whisper knows of this, as the Inspector interviewed Quellyn recently; apparently the Spirit Warden is under Setarra's influence.

They catch up with Arden Jayan on his way to work one morning. Paving the Spider has borrowed a friend's cab to keep the approach away from prying eyes. Hammer the Leech pretends that he's off-duty (not to mention a little intimidating) until their preferred customer approaches and then leaps aboard to drive the Inspector towards Charterhall. Locust and Paving get in after Jayan does and get right to the point. They're here to talk to him about the Spirit Warden. They brush past his denial that he could possibly share information on an investigation with them; until Paving convinces him that they can help with the problem.

When they wonder how he actually knows that the Spirit Warden is corrupt, he is obviously reticent, but does relate a tale of how he was in a den of ill-repute one night when he spotted a young woman descend from the upstairs room - as she passed him he spotted dark veins throbbing in her hand and blackened eyes. He had some experience with these things and thought that this was a sure sign of demonic influence so he followed her and over the course of a few days work, found out that she worked as a Spirit Warden and that her real name was Vestine Strathmill.

They have a deal - if they help him put her away, he'll apply himself to reduce their profile with the Bluecoats.

So they set to work; and their plan is as ambitious as it's complex. They'll find out if there's any incriminating evidence in her house (and if not plant some); then they'll abduct a local figure of authority (one known to support the Spirit Wardens), and stage an escape from a nefarious ritual involving sacrifice to an obvious demonic presence.

Hammer goes on a brief scouting mission to survey the Spirit Warden's house and its surrounds. It's in the nicer end of the Docks, Near the canal and across from Crow's Foot and Charterhall. The windows are tinted, and unlike the rest of the neighbourhood's houses there is little decoration or ornamentation outside. An extended surveillance sees smoke coming out of the chimney just before 8 in the evening, in anticipation of Strathmill's return - a maid or housekeeper has been working during the day. The deeds and census show that it's been owned by the Strathmill family for some sixty years, but only the Vestine appears to live there permanently.

Locust is out buying menacing looking ritual accoutrements, including a goat skull and a couple of pig fetuses from a local butcher.
Paving identifies a local magistrate, Stavrul Dunvil - a conscientious hard worker who appears to be friendly enough when off-duty; (and importantly) who takes a cab to and from his chambers daily.
He's also acquired a couple of Spirit Warden costumes - at least they came at costume prices, but in reality they do appear to be genuine, if a little old.

****

Locust and Hammer breaking into Strathmill's house in the middle of the night. Locust initially sends in a ghost to scout out the house for him, but it's arm is destroyed as soon as it moves through the back wall and it escapes screaming silent fury at the Whisper. They enter the back door the old fashioned way and find their way upstairs to the Spirit Warden's bedroom where she is fast asleep.

Hammer takes out his blowgun and the dart, filled with black lotus, which will induce coma-like stupor and visions for the rest of the night. They carry her downstairs into the basement, a bare room of brick and cobwebs.

Tying her firmly to a chair, Locust considers the woman, and the connection she has to Setarra. She suddenly looks up at Locust, and smiles. Hammer is confused - no one can be that lucid with a dose of black lotus in them!

Vestine / Setarra

Her eyes are black and she has too many teeth in her mouth, and her voice has a timbre that chills
them all to the bone.
-So nice of you to come see me Uno, I was wondering how I would entice you to show yourself again
Then, with impossible strength, she breaks her bonds and kicks the chair back
Locust steps back, holding his prized demonbane charm out towards her, and that does see, to give her pause. In flies Shrike the Cutter who has been watching from the stairs. Shrike fists glow with that blue lightening but despite the damaging attack Vestine/Setarra grabs her arm and goes to take a big bite out of her shoulder. Shrike goes with the flow and is instead slammed into the brick wall.

Shrike's winded but her leather jacket takes most of the force out of it. They all notice dark water rise up out of the ground, quickly covering the floor and working its way up their feet. Panicking a little, Locust jumps on top of Vestine/Setarra with his demonbane charm tied around his fist. Hammer slams a dose of Spark into Locust and the energy cascades through Locust as he punches repeatedly to her head. The charm burns Vestine/Setarra and eventually she loses consciousness. Shrike whips out an enchanted chain to restrain her, and maybe stop Setarra from taking control again.

***

Paving drives the cab past the magistrate's house; a couple of blocks away from where Strathmill lives. Dunvil leaves at his usual time and calls them just on cue. Hammer sits quietly in the shadows of the cab, in the Spirit Warden garb they've acquired. As he readies the blowgun at point blank range, a neighbour leans in the window to speak with Dunvil, who's still standing on the step and yet to sit down.

The conversation goes on for a minute (about thoroughly mundane neighbourhood matters) and eventually Paving loses patience and ushers the goats into action, driving away. Dunvil stumbles into a seat, though not his usual one; he actually lands right next to Hammer. He opens with a 'Good Morning' and Dunvil is thoroughly confused and a little outraged with someone sneaking into his cab! With the range too close to use the blowgun Hammer draws a pistol and goes to knock him upside the head with the butt.

Maybe it's the close-range and the surprise, but Dunvil is able to defend himself with his briefcase. In the chaos the gun discharges into the air. So Hammer stabs him with the sedative dart from his blowgun instead and Dunvil collapses despite his valiant defence. Paving picks up speed and the Dunvil's briefcase falls out the window - the concerned neighbour calls for the Bluecoats and they're suddenly racing the clock!

**

Locust is setting up the ritual space as quickly as he can - he's including a torn page from an occult calendar suggesting why today was the best day for a sacrifice. His preparations will be uncovered by the housekeeper, who will arrive imminently; so Shrike is standing by the door to open it for the woman.

She's left all of her obvious gear aside, so as not to arouse more suspicion than necessary. Shrike pulls off her creepy girl act (a little too easily) though Alayne, the housekeeper, does complain that she must soak her lady's oats now so that they can be ready for later. Shrike flexes her fists, causing a brief static flicker to discharge, convincing Alayne to leave now. The woman scurries away, but it's now obvious that she is leaving to report this dubious girl and whatever untoward religious ceremony she's involved in to the authorities.


They set a watch, to ensure that they're not disturbed by bluecoats, and as soon as Paving and Hammer arrive, they unload Magistrate Dunvil and Paving drives off, to draw some of the heat away.

Waking up Dunvil to witness the climax of the 'ritual' with chanting and flagellation, Locust manipulates the electroplasmic energy to give off a (mostly) fake explosion which is noisy and impressive, which flings them all to the floor.

Dunvil's bindings have become loosened and the crew escape, leaving the still comatose Strathmill (now dressed in their spare Spirit Warden garb) behind. When the Bluecoats arrive they are sure that Dunvil will have the upper hand.


Paving, closely pursued by a patrol of Bluecoats, ditches the cab next to an alleyway near a market, and escapes on foot. He'll have to pay his cabbie friend to retrieve it from the pound later, but it's money well spent.

*

Their newly recruited band of Rooks (Ludmilla and Argent Dolvestri, a delightful married couple that got blackballed from Paving's favourite theatre because they are dedicated revolutionaries) did get picked up by the Bluecoats, but they pay off the watch sergeant to release them.

Paving has been busy digging and otherwise preparing graves - he's looking forward to putting some worthy soul inside them.

Shrike visits the Archive of Echoes, communing with a long-dead ancestor, who appears to have had a similar gift, and who also had a weapon capable of withstanding (and possibly channeling) the mystic energy.

Next Session: Highway Diplomacy